Smile
by XMistressChaosx
Summary: Three things that truly made Kenny smile. Birthday fic. Bunny.


**I own nothing.**

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: Three things that truly made Kenny smile.<strong>

**Pairing: Bunny**

**Warnings: A bit OOC with sudden 'I love you(s)' and over the top angsty Kenny. **

**Why I'm doing this: One of my ffnet biffles birthday happens to be today. I wish him the very best today. Filled with all his favorite things and such. HAPPY 15th~! Hope you enjoy your B-day present from me. If you don't... then I tried. *Awkward silence***

* * *

><p><strong>Smile<strong>

* * *

><p>Kenny pulled his Mysterion hood off. The dark fabric hit his back as he sank to the sidewalk. His big blue eyes stared up into the night sky; he gazed at the billions of twinkling stars, inwardly sneering at the damnable serene feel to everything. He had just saved the world from Cthulhu, but did anybody bother to care or remember, nope. They all praised Mint-Berry Crunch. Kenny rolled his eyes at the very thought. The kid had done nothing.<p>

Who was it that saved all of them from the Netherworld?

Who was it that stopped Cartman from incinerating them using Cthulhu?

Who was willing to put his life on the damn line every single time a major problem arrived in South Park?

Who saved all the town people's asses multiple times?

Certainly not same stupid happy-go-luck alien kid with the stupidest power there ever was. Kenny sighed and his shoulders slumped. It was unfair to blame Bradley. He grudgingly admitted the guy did pretty well, but it was unfair he had gotten praise for something that he, Kenny, mostly done. It was unfair that he was continuously pushed to the side with skeptical remarks directed his way when he had tried to tell others about his accomplishments. Certainly, he silently raged, that it wasn't too much to ask for praise. Just for somebody to acknowledge what he had done for them.

Kenny snorted after a second or two. He stood up from his seat on the cracked sidewalk. He pulled his hood up, once again taking on the persona of Mysterion. There was no time for such dark thoughts that led him down a trail that could never be followed. All there was in his life was being a silent vigilante. There was nothing more to his role. It was pointless to think otherwise. And speaking of that it was nearing that specific time in night where he reprised that role.

Kenny stuck to the shadows of the various buildings that South Park had to offer. Tonight his spot would be on top of the police building. There had been a rise of crimes around that particular area for the last week. He guessed that it was some of the middle-schoolers doing some punk-ass kiddy trouble, but one couldn't be so sure. The blond moved quickly across the streets. He took care to avoid any spots where he was easily seen. Once at the back of the police station he scaled up the rusty old sewage pipe. Kenny grimaced when got to the top of the building. His gloves were absolutely filthy, caked with shit he didn't even recognize. He made a mental note to ask his Mom to scrub extra hard with this outfit.

Kenny wiped his hands on his pants ghosting toward the edge of the police station. He took up his usual stance, staring the city down with his ears twitching every so often. His eyes were akin to a hawk's. They caught and saw every little thing that went down below. Nothing escaped him. He vowed that no crime would go unpunished when he was there. Kenny grinned as sudden scream of "HELP" filtered through the air. He had spoken to soon.

Kenny jumped from the roof bracing his legs for the impact. A dull pain shot through his leg muscles when he landed to the ground. He ignored it, in favor of sprinting toward the sound as fast as he could. Kenny desperately held onto some form of hope that he would get there in time. If not, Kenny shuddered at all the possibilities. Another scream ripped through the air pushing Kenny to move faster. He had to get there immediately!

His surroundings passed into a blur. His adrenaline shot up to an all-time high. Before he knew he had arrived at a dead-end. He immediately recognized the long, frizzy, blond locks of Bebe's hair. She was "playing" tug-of-war with his archenemy, Professor Chaos. The two holding onto opposite ends of a hot pink Gucci bag. Kenny growled as he stalked toward the duo getting ready to fight off Chaos and protect Bebe if the situation arose.

"Stealing purses, Professor Chaos? How the mighty have fallen," Kenny taunted childishly, making his presence known.

Kenny smirked in satisfaction when both Bebe and Chaos jumped at his voice. He still had that effect. Hopefully, he could just scare off Chaos tonight.

"Mysterion!" They both said in surprised unison.

"The one and only. Let go of the purse, Chaos. You really don't want to fight with me on this one. I've had a bad night," he threatened. Kenny was surprised when Chaos' aluminum wrapped hands immediately fell to his side, limply. That was too easy.

Kenny turned slightly to Bebe making sure to keep his defensive stance. "Go on. Get out of here."

"A-A-Are you sure Mysterion," She stammered as she clutched her pink purse closer to her chest.

"I don't like repeating myself. Leave!"

Bebe nodded rapidly. She ran passed Kenny, her long hair flying behind her. Kenny breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she was gone. Bebe was one of the smart ones. She actually listened to his words. Countless civilians were stupid enough to believe that they could help. In reality they did more harm than good.

When she left Kenny gave Chaos his full attention again. He stared at his enemy waiting for him to make any sort of move. When he didn't, Kenny relented in breaking the uneasy air between them. "Is there a reason you're out stealing purses?"

Chaos kept quiet. He shuffled his feet and appeared to struggle with words. Kenny quirked an eyebrow, this was odd, usually Chaos immediately told him of his evil plans. Chaos was never silent. It was off-putting to say the least.

"Well, are you gonna answer or do I have to beat it out of you?" Kenny attempted to try and get Chaos riled up to no avail. When he did not answer Kenny subtly shrugged. He was in no mood for this to turn into a fight anyway, "Fine. I'll give you a warning. Don't let me catch you stealing purses or anything else for that matter again!"

Kenny started to walk away with those parting words. His dark cape fluttered behind in an act of a dramatic exit. It wasn't until he was at the very opening of the dead-end when Chaos decided to speak up.

"WAIT!"

Kenny froze. He tensed, but refused to move from his spot, "Yes?"

Chaos grew quiet again. Kenny turned around with a questioning look. His dark orbs met intense baby blue ones filled with an emotion that he couldn't recognize. It was so unlike Professor Chaos' usual playful blue. It was completely serious, and... what? There wasn't a word in his nine-year-old vocabulary to describe it. All Kenny knew was that it, whatever it happened to be unnerved him.

"Tell me... Tell me what you were going to say," his deep voice prompted the villain.

Chaos shook his head and he muttered to himself. Kenny strained to hear the string of words that came from Chaos' mouth. He grew frustrated when all he heard was a mass of gibberish, Kenny though had only to wait a few seconds when Chaos suddenly pulled off his tinfoil mask revealing his face.

"Butters," Kenny's breath caught at the sight of the small blond boy. It would be easy to fight Professor Chaos, but Butters was a different story. He was so innocent, full of light. To fight something like that would be an act of evil.

"I can't say this as Professor Chaos, Mysterion," He softly replied, rubbing his knuckles together in a familiar fashion. Kenny only saw Butters do that when he was unsure or nervous. Why was he unsure or nervous?

"And that is?"

"Thank you."

Kenny was taken back by those words, "Thank you? For what?"

"For saving us, me."

"S-saving you?" Kenny parroted back dumbly. "Saving you from what?" A weird feeling washed over him. Butters knew that he had saved him? He was thanking him? An explicit feeling coursed through his body. It made him wonder if Butters remembered his deaths, but he wasn't going to ask him that. All that mattered was someone had given him gratitude. He liked the warm feeling of it.

"Everything," Butters said simply.

Kenny watched as Butters pulled his mask back on, turning into Professor Chaos. The blond took a step back as Professor Chaos pulled out a stink bomb. He threw it on the ground, on impact releasing the foul smell. Kenny pulled his cape around his face to protect his nose, and squeezed his eyes as to not let the gas sting his eyes.

After a few minutes Kenny tentatively lowered his cape when he deemed it safe enough to breathe and opened his eyes. Kenny scanned his surroundings a little disappointed that Professor Chaos was nowhere in sight. He had never been thanked before. His archenemy had no idea how his words affected him.

He pulled down his hood, letting a lone wind ruffle through his messy blond hair. For the first time in a long time Kenny grinned, showing off all of his teeth.

It felt good to smile.

* * *

><p>Kenny was numb. For the first time he wished his gift had somehow transcended from him to his departed sister, Karen. She had died from a raging infection a couple weeks ago. His little sister had only been ten. He waited, and waited for her to regenerate and come back with her lovely smile. For her to insist that he play dolly and tuck her into bed because their parents were too busy fighting.<p>

Only it never happened.

Life ticked by at an excruciating slow pace the longer she was gone. He had refused to speak to anyone since her funeral. Kenny gave a mirthless mixture of a bark and laugh. He hadn't attended his baby sister's funeral. Wasn't it pathetic that he was too afraid to confront Karen's coffin and her body, knowing that he had a curse that protected him from a human's mortality. Diseases, illnesses, and bodily injuries... he came back if he died, but she didn't. Karen didn't have the same luxury.

That wasn't even the worst part of the whole situation to Kenny. The real kicker was that it was all gone. Nothing sprung up in his mind when he thought of Karen's favorites or what she wanted to do when she promised to get better. He drew up a blank slate on all his sister's information. He barely remembered her features. His parents' had taken down all the pictures they had captured of Karen and put them away. He was forgetting his sister.

Forgetting!

He did not want to do that. He wanted to honor her memory, her everything that she was and could've been. He rolled out of his ratty bed. Perhaps, he needed to visit his little sister. There was a slim chance that it'd clear away his psyche. Indecision clouded his mind, but he blew it off. If anything, this was something he needed to do. He knew Karen knew he was avoiding her. Kenny made his way to his closet throwing on his orange parka and some sweatpants. He carefully moved through the hallways making sure to avoid any sort of noise that alerted his mother. Ever since Karen had passed she always wanted to talk since Kevin and his dad, Stuart, waved her off for beer and cigarettes.

Today, Kenny made it to the end of the hallway. Carol McCormick was there in her regular attire with her crimson red hair now stained with grey pulled back into a messy bun. Her murky blue orbs glued to him, begging for him to stay for her. He ignored the pleading look, instead his gaze fell to the dirty carpet, "I'm going out," he murmured.

"Where?"

"To visit Karen."

Kenny moved before she did. He glared at her, forcing her arms that were previously outstretched to fall. He didn't want her comfort nor did he want to stay and hear whatever babble she'd undoubtedly spout off. "I'll be back before dinner. Don't wait up."

"Ken -," his mother started, but he rushed past her to the door. He slammed the door shut, the house groaning from the sudden abuse. Done. All of it was done. No more to anything.

His lungs filled with air when he started to trek toward the west. The snow crunching under his feet provided a repetitive hum as he walked to the cemetery. He kept along the sidewalk, sticking to the furthest side to avoid any more possible confrontation. In twenty minutes he arrived at the creaking black gates of South Park Cemetery, wordlessly he opened the gate flinching at the horrible screech that sent shivers down his spine. He went in, bowing his head in respect for the dead. The cemetery was a very somber place. There was no room for smiles or laughter.

Kenny threaded through the various headstone until he came upon the shiniest one in the "M" section. He dropped to his knees in front of the marble headstone. Here laid his sister - appropriately marked on the stone. Kenny felt confused and tongue-tied. What was he supposed to say or do? He settled on sitting cross-legged in front of the tomb. Kenny's hand raised on several occasions inching toward the marble, however, every time Kenny got close his hand scuttled away.

He felt disgusting. He did not deserve to touch his sister's resting place. If he could not even remember his sister properly what gave him the right to disturb her resting place further? So, he just sat there unable to do anything. He had thought there was going to be a breakthrough of some sort. A scrap of what he desired when he finally gained the balls to come. The Gods apparently saw otherwise.

A dejected sigh escaped him. He guessed it was time to leave. "Sorry," Kenny whispered. He moved to get up when a sudden noise twisted him around. He was on high alert. There had been no one when he entered the graveyard. Kenny's eyes moved over the terrain before they settled on the figure in front of him. "Butters?"

Said person smiled somewhat brightly. He had grown his hair out to point where it touched his shoulders and curled the slightest at the end. At fourteen he stood around 5'4", matching Kenny and Stan in the height department. He still was the nicest boy in South Park with the same air of naïveté he had somehow kept through his childhood. In a blurry haze, Kenny saw him and Butters surrounding Karen's hospital bed, presenting her cookies and keeping her entertained. Butters had given his sister a pure white stuffed bunny to keep her company. Butters claimed it to be one of his former toys that brought him much joy.

"Kenny," Butters called him, bringing him back to the present.

"Hm?"

"What are you doing here? I thought," Butters shifted in place a couple of times, "I thought you - "

"You thought what!" Kenny angrily fired, "Can't I see her too?"

"That's not what I meant," Butters hurriedly said, "You weren't there for the funeral. I thought something bad had happened. You blamed yourself... and then... you..." The lighter blond trailed off. A faraway expression painted on his face.

Kenny had a pretty good idea what Butters had intentionally or unintentionally implied, the truth is he had, but nobody had remembered, and he had come back to a Karen-less world. "Look, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that I don't know anymore. It's a mess."

Butters frowned. He focused on Kenny, "What's wrong?"

Kenny shrugged, he turned back to the tombstone, "I can't answer your question. It's a mystery to myself. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Butters seated himself right beside him. Kenny had noticed a small black and hot-pink striped Hello-Kitty lunchbox nestled on his lap. Kenny decided not to question the teen on it. They sat in companionable silence. Five minutes passed with nothing, but the quiet chattering of the birds and the low whistle of the breeze.

"I lied," Kenny said quietly, not really caring if Butters heard or not.

"Lied about what?" Butters questioned, playing with the dead patches of grass.

"The reason why I'm here and what was wrong. Do you want to know," Kenny eyed Butters critically as he said those things.

"If you want," Butters stared right back.

Kenny nodded in short beats. He curled in tighter on himself, rocking back and forth. "What's wrong with me is that I lost her. She's gone. I can't recall anything about my baby sister. I'm here to regain what I've lost, but I can't. I don't think she's forgiven me."

"What is there to forgive?"

"She hates me, I'm sure. What brother can't be there to give his little sister a final goodbye? It's proven when she took awa-," Kenny shook his head furiously. There was no finishing the sentence.

"Don't dishonor her memory with those pitying words," came Butters' strangely strong rebuttal.

"It's obvious and you know it. What other reason is there?" Kenny attempted to make Butters see from his perspective.

"Sorrow," Butters uttered, looking straight at Kenny.

"Sorrow," he croaked.

"Yes, you need to move on. You blocked out Karen. She's still there; you just need to open up. Let her come out again."

"How," Kenny sounded like a small child, seeking guidance from the 'adult'.

A slow smile crossed Butters' face. He reached out and grasped Kenny's hand within his own and began speaking, "I remember when Karen..." and he talked, never letting up. Kenny listened to the lull of his voice with amazed awe. All of it was rushing back to him at breathtaking speeds. His sister's image was becoming clear in his mind. He never noticed when he started to add in his two pieces, for the first time in weeks truly laughing while tears dribbled down his pale face.

And just like that another toothy, goofy grin spread on his face. It felt good to smile again.

* * *

><p>Kenny forced a permanent grin on his face as he went through all of the motions of his big birthday bash. Stan, Kyle, and yes, even Cartman (albeit for his own purposes) had arranged a giant party for his eighteenth birthday. Stan's house, where the party was being held, had tons of booze, the sickest music, and the loosest, sexiest girls. Ordinarily, Kenny would be pumped, but he was preoccupied with one particular person that continued to inwardly pester him. A teen that had been the object of this thoughts, and admittedly fantasies for a couple of months.<p>

That person was Leopold Butters Scotch otherwise known as Butters. Kenny wondered where the teen was. Usually, he was beside Cartman or Wendy and Bebe, but all three of them had denied ever seeing him tonight. It made Kenny worry. Butters told him he was going to be there. It appeared as if Butters lied to him. The train of thought made Kenny deflate the tiniest bit.

"Whatever," Kenny muttered under his breath. He moved from the food table making his way through the throng of people. Chipper "Happy Birthdays" and "Hi" moved through the air as the birthday boy pushed through the crowd. It was his priority to find Stan. Thankfully, he found the noirette in record time leaning on Wendy's chest. A dazed expression on his face.

"Can I go up to Shelly's room," Kenny asked rapidly.

"Yup, Yup, YUP! Don't steal her panties or bras though. My sister may have been a bitch," Stan giggled like a schoolgirl at his choice of words before burping, "but I'll still kick your ass."

"Thanks, dude."

"You're welcome Ken. Have fun with Butters," Stan slurred, giggling yet again. Kenny threw a questioning look to Wendy, but the girl shrugged. Kenny followed her action dismissing Stan's words as nonsense. Stan was cool, but he had no tolerance when it came to alcohol.

Kenny jogged upstairs, elation rushed through him when nobody realized he was gone. Quietly, he slipped into the eldest Marsh's room. He locked the door behind him, and falling face first onto the soft pink mattress. He kicked off his converse, squirming to get comfortable. He closed his eyes in welcome bliss, only to reopen them when he felt movement on the bed that wasn't his own. He jumped back, waiting.

He watched the bed cautiously. He noticed a large bulge bundled under the covers. Kenny reached out to turn on the closest bed lamp. Light illuminated the room. It took a couple of seconds before Kenny's eyes adjusted. He viewed the bulge properly, guessing it was someone under the covers. Who? He had no clue. Kenny did not have to wait long. A head full of light blond hair poked through the opening of the comforter.

"Butters," Kenny said as he walked toward the bed. He pulled pink covers down recognizing the boy's features. He poked the teen in the face until blurry, unfocused globes found his own.

"Mm... Kenny," came the boy's sleepy response.

"The one and only!" Kenny chuckled, feeling insanely happy at the discovery of his friend.

Butters suddenly shot up in bed, staring wide-eyed at Kenny, "Oh hamburgers, what time is it?"

"Almost one a.m.," Kenny replied.

"Snicker doodle, I'm sorry Kenny, I helped with setting up the party and I was supposed to be awoken up so, I could get you your birthday present." Butters hung his head.

"Hey now, I'm just happy that you're here. I thought you weren't coming, or you'd forgotten," Kenny said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

Butters, startled, looked at Kenny, "I'd never do that especially since I promised you."

"I know that now," Kenny said, his lips twitching upwards. In one fluid motion Kenny stood up making a rash choice. He grabbed Butters' closest wrist dragging him out of bed, "You're coming with me to the party."

"What! Wait, Kenny, I'm not dressed properly and I have to tell you something," Butters yelped as he struggled against Kenny's surprisingly strong grip.

Kenny stopped in his tracks. He spun on his heel to face Butters. Indeed he wasn't dressed for the party with light blue sweatpants and a white shirt with a random abstract design, the shirt had hints of flour on it, Kenny though was more focused on what Butters had to say, "What are you gonna tell me?"

Butters blushed furiously, "Well, Bebe and Wendy told me that it was good to be truthful and honest. It's not good to keep feelings locked inside so, that the other person doesn't even know. I," The slightly smaller blond audibly swallowed, "lo-"

A furious sound of fists invaded the room through the door, "Come out! Other people need to use the bedrooms too," yelled a random person. Kenny balled his fist up. Dammit, what kind of cliché shit scenario just happened?

"You better back the fuck away from the door before I come out and pummel your ass," Kenny returned. He cocked his head to the side when he heard a string of curses and the person walking away.

"Now, what were you going to tell me?" Kenny asked, his focus back on Butters.

Butters bit his bottom lip, something Kenny found endearing, and then words tumbled from Butters faster than he could catch them.

"Can you repeat that, please?"

Butters nodded shyly, "S-Sure," he stammered. "I said I love you."

Butters loved him? What? Warmth flooded his being, but he had to be sure this wasn't some twisted, demented fantasy that his mind was teasing him with. "What did you say?"

"I love yo-," Butters was cut off yet again when Kenny's lips crashed against his own.

The kiss was feather-light before Kenny pulled back the littlest to check and see if Butters wanted this. He received his answer if the blond's drifty look was anything to go by. He leaned back in, the kiss turning rougher. Kenny nibbled on Butters' lower lip begging entrance. Butters gladly complied, moaning as Kenny's tongue slid into its new playground, exploring happily.

Butters continued to make explicit noises that made all his blood rush down south. Kenny was tempted to keep Butters in his current position, possibly moving to a certain activity, but he knew they had to stop. They, more like Butters, weren't ready. Kenny cut off the kiss resting his forehead onto Butters' drinking in the flushed image the blond displayed.

"Jesus. That was the icing on the cake. You don't know what you do to me, how big your effect has been on my life," Kenny pecked Butters on his puffy lips.

"I-I'm sure I've done nothing."

Kenny was flabbergasted by the meek reply. Did Butters really not know how many times he had saved him? Lord, he loved the boy's innocent humbleness.

"I can remember three times you've managed to make me truly grin," started Kenny, "when I was nine you thanked me and before you say anything, you were the first and only person to thank me. At fourteen, when I was losing my sister you gave her back to me, and now, on my eighteenth birthday, you say love me. You aren't like the girls or even the scant guys I've been with who enjoy whispers of empty declarations. I know you love me for me."

Butters opened his mouth. It refused to close there were no words.

A peal of laughter escaped from Kenny, "Close that pretty little mouth, no, on second thought we can put that mouth to good use."

Butters' mouth snapped shut while Kenny snickered. His snickers eventually died down, and like many times in the past they were left in utter silence. Kenny, per usual, was the one break the silence. He interlocked their fingers, "Tell me again, one more time."

"I, Butters Scotch, love you, Kenny McCormick." Butters stated with conviction.

Kenny's whole face lit up and the widest smile upon his face.

It felt insanely, amazing, and daffy to smile in this fashion.


End file.
